This Date was 03-14-07 at 11:20 am

You can fix it by going back in to "Edit Post" which only you and admins can do.
I fixed this one already.

It's actually more helpful (if laborious) to post these each as separate items. That way we can more easily follow up on them with their administration. The Office of Court Administration has made it quite clear that permit abuse is a crime and will not be tolerated, so we expect to be able to get some results.

To be able to follow up, at minimum, for each complaint we need a photo showing the car in context, the address/date/time for the violation, and the permit information.

I think that's what Crosby Merchant did with the previous 8-10 posts below this.

d'oh.

I do think a general photo like this makes an impact on the public and I hope enough people let the Mayor know how they feel about this crap.

With all due respect do you actually believe that The Office of Court Administration has no idea that this abuse is and has been taking place?

Why do they even ussue placards to these people in the first place and why are these people not forced to surrender their placards when they abuse them. More importantly why is NYC enforcent not enforcing the law??

I find all this very upsetting and have lost faith in the government in general.

This picture is incredible. I can't believe we let this go on in NYC. In a European city that would be an incredible pedestrian street or something. In New York City we allow our government employees to turn it into a parking lot. No wonder we're falling behind the rest of the civilized world. We're being cannabalized by our own government. Jesus, this is turning me into a right-wing libertarian freak.

I think in the end the blame falls on Mayor Bloomberg. The same mayor Bloomberg who fought so vehemently against ending sunday parking meter rules. The same Mayor Bloomberg who speaks so on law and order and quality of life issues. In the end his legacy is pretty horrible allowing such abuse, disrespect of the citizens and to be blunt, corruption by government employees.

The other troubling factor is the lack of a moral compass for our so-called law enforcement professionals.

Truly a disgusting situation and a black mark on this city

Permits are valid in “No Parking Anytime” and “No Parking” with specific hours, in “No Standing except Trucks Loading and Unloading” and (except for Press) at Meters.

All these parking are legit!

Regarding Anon 10 -

Can someone double check this?

According to the chart on this web site these court clerk passes are not allowed in any of these locations. I called the Mayors office and was told that they were under the impression that they could park for four hours. All of these cars are parking 9 to 5 Mon. thru Fri. everyday same street. All of these people are knowingly breaking the law and their friend in blue are letting them. These car should be ticketed like everybody else and if there is a valid excuse then they can get it dropped.
If these are your cars, wake up partys over you don't have to go home you just can't stay here!

Who issues these Court Officer Permits #10, and on what basis do you assert that this is legal?

It may be that these cars do not get tickets, but it does not mean that it is legal. This parking is permitted by virtue of non-enforcement, but not permitted by law. This is illegal parking.

Regarding this Crosby street parking issue, I invite you all to check out the comments on "the hardiest commuters" bu CrosbyMerchant at:

http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/727#comments

Is there a sign posted above the water cooler mandating all court workers not to use public transportation like the rest of the cites residents? It's just so arrogant. Laws do not apply to us.

So because you feel your are underpaid you feel you have the right to break the law. Interesting as I am pretty sure thats what most criminals think as well. They need money so they hold up a convenience store. You don't get paid enough so you park on the sidewalk.

Nobody is arguing that you guys don't deserve more pay/benefits. Hell, I think you all deserve to be paid more than most people in this city, including the wall street banker sorts. But, I don't agree that being underpaid gives you a free pass to break the law. If our own city employee's break the law, then how can we expect others not to do the same?

anon # 16 you scalawag! You say you can VIOLATE THE LAW because the city doesnt pay you enough???

so according to you #16 should anyone working for minimum wage be allowed to break the law and park wherever they want?

you cops think that because you have a dangerous job you should be allowed to BREAK THE LAW???

so according to you should anyone who works a dangerous job be allowed to BREAK THE LAW???

You have so many posts about Crosby Street, that I had to respond to them all, lest anyone out there misses our discussions under your post of “The hardiest commuters”, (which, by the way, has gotten a lot of responses since we have begun this discussion). As I’ve said elsewhere, you have very valid points with some respects (and I respect your opinion, unlike many of your fellow advocates I am not attacking anyone), but I think you raise some red herrings in others. I previously posted elsewhere:

“I think that in certain claims, your website has some valid objections, and some red herrings. This argument about this section of parking on Crosby street seems a bit disingenuous, at best. For example, the street depicted in this photo has the post from the user that says there is “No Parking” from “8am to 6pm”. So I suppose the question is this: If no one is allowed to park from 8 am to 6pm, how is this hurting you as residents or as business owners if a Court Officer, or Police Officer, or dog catcher parks there?
Of course I agree with the most important issue that your website has concerns over, namely safety issues like fire hydrants, cross walks, bike lanes and side walks. No one should park there for safety and emergency concerns. Also, I understand that on Baxter or Mulberry or similar streets, or anywhere there is metered parking, that this would be a problem for merchants, and I agree with that point. These civil servants should be more courteous on how they exercise the courtesies that they enjoy. What I disagree with is how someone with a parking plaque parking in an area where no one is supposed to park hurts anyone. It doesn’t take away a spot that we could park in, does it? Does it hurt a merchant? No. Does it hurt a resident? No. “

In response, you posted to me elsewhere:

“If you want to cry about the needs of the Court Officer, cry to the city to buy some real estate for a Court Officer parking lot, don't expect the abused neighborhood to tolerate this systematic and chronic problem. In this neighborhood these areas were once loading zones, and as the neighborhood has become more oriented around retail the needs for parking has only increased, and the needs for loading lessened. If we took the Court Officer's cars out of the equation, I believe that most traffic engineers and urban planners would say that this neighborhood needs some alternate side parking for residents,and mostly metered parking for Soho shoppers, along with loading zones. I think that this is what we will see in the end, because this will be better for residents, and better for businesses.”

I replied”

“I totally respect your opinion, and it would be nice if the city did buy parking for their employees like many cities do. But as I commented earlier I fully support the website‘s position with respect to safety issues, however, you posted that the sign says no parking from 8am to 6pm, so forgive me, but I don’t see how any vehicle with a parking plaque parking there affects your customers if they can’t park there during the hours in question. You are right that those “areas were once loading zones, and as the neighborhood has become more oriented around retail the needs for parking has only increased, and the needs for loading lessened”. It is a valid point.

But it is one of the red herrings that I mentioned because if these “plaques” as I’ll refer to them, were not parked in front of your store, then the space would be empty, it would not be filled with your customers, who are eager to purchase your wares.
Now if the signs were different, and were metered parking, then I would whole-heartedly endorse your position (see above) but as your customers can’t park there during those hours that you posted, I fail to see how your clientele is being affected, and how you are being affected.

More specifically, how are you being abused? How are your customers hurt? How is your bottom line affected? Your customers can’t park there after 8 am and before 6pm.

What if there were no metered parking on the street. What if it was alternate side parking? Do you think that the spaces in front of your store would be empty? Of course not. They would be MORE FILLED then they are now. Filled by you and your employees and by the people who live there, not by your customers (you can’t say to me that if you or your employees drove to work, and there was an non-metered spot in front of your store that you, or your employees would not be parked there ALL DAY. With no space for your customers. I seriously doubt you would force your employees to park in a garage. Oh, they would also be filled by the very court employees who park there now (if not more, like all the government employees at the municipal, state and federal who don‘t have plaques, as they get to work much earlier than most shoppers get up to go shopping. So, if the parking were “legal” it would be filled by you and yours, and by the very people who are there now plus a lot more.

Now, if there were metered parking, then perhaps that would improve the parking for your customers, which seems to be the thrust of your argument.

But I think that would be somewhat counter productive to the general argument of Transportation Alternatives, which seems to be advocating the opposite position that you are. They seem to want people to take public transportation (like I do) when they come into the city to work and shop, not drive into lower Manhattan during the weekday like you would suggest (I come to that conclusion because you want parking in front of your Crosby Street establishment from 8 am to 6pm - Mon. to Fri. [or, at least, your general complaints seem to be with court staff, and aside from criminal arraignments, court is closed nights and weekends]).

Wouldn’t the development you advocate (i.e. more shoppers driving in crowded lower Manhattan streets looking for parking to go shopping), be counter-productive to the very arguments advanced by this website?)

Again, just trying to narrow the issue a bit.

Legal Aid Mike,

A good mix of Metered Parking, 1 and 2 hour, alternate side, loading zones, bicycle parking racks, Segway parking, tricycle parking, yes! A good mix would be good for business, area residents and the neighborhood general.

Crosby Merchant

To the questions about Court Officer and Court Clerk permits--they are invalid on NYC streets. They are issued by the unions, and NYC traffic law forbids them from being used for parking (see the chart in "Is this Permit Legal" section. Just like any other union-issue permits, they are for identification purposes only in off-street facilities.
See here:
http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/676

The Mayor's office gave you bad information, which is indicative of how systemic the problem is--I'm not surprised that they don't understand all the laws around permits.

For more info on this, see the Unified Court System website, or contact Captain John Lebecci at the offices.
http://www.courts.state.ny.us/home.htm

efficient streets, you said "To the questions about Court Officer and Court Clerk permits--they are invalid on NYC streets...and NYC traffic law forbids them from being used for parking".

Could you post a link to the law that you refer to so we could all read it? Thanks!

why is it that on tv shows and the news, people's license plates and registrations are purposely BLURRED out.....

but on this site, they are embellished and highlighted........

doesn't seem legal to me........maybe a lawsuit against TA and the site moderator is in order here.......

and everyone posting pictures on here better look at the "Assumption of Risk, Waiver, and Release Agreement"......
seems like you are all on your own should something go down.....

It seems some comments have been deleted since yesterday.I made a comment against what was #16, but now #16 has changed to a dif comment.

I just want to say I have no problem with greg's comment.

#22 thanks for your veiled threats against posters here. Keep in mind that your IP is logged.

As for postings of license plates, cry me a river. If you are in public, you should have no expectation of privacy, especially if you are breaking the law. Taking photos in this context is completely legal.

#21
There is no law I can cite that specifically bans union permits. I can only refer you to the section "Is this permit Legal," which shows all the recognized permits on the streets of NYC. Because many of the unions printing placards are statewide unions, those permits might be valid in other municipalities around the state. In NYC, however, they are not.

Because of permit non-enforcement in general that gives the sense that all permits are valid, and because the permits are very well made, it is quite common to assume that the permits are valid on the streets. Any honest OCA (union) and NYS Unified Court System employee with knowledge of permits will tell you the same. Or you can talk to DOT permit division, Finance department, etc and hopefully (I say hopefully because the Mayor's office already got it wrong) they will tell you the same.

TO #10 and #18 (Legal Mike)

These cars are ILLEGALLY parked in a NO PERMIT ZONE. This is not just a No Parking Zone, it is a No PERMIT Zone. Take the trouble to call the Department of Transportation and know the law. In a No PERMIT Zone, permits and placards are NOT valid. Again, check the law, call the D.O.T., and then tell the local police precinct.

You people must have no lives. Basically your all pissed because you can't do it right? Each and every one of you would if you could.
Your also apparently to stupid to realize that the very people you complain to ALSO abuse there priveleges. For example ..... not two weeks ago at an unamed courthouse there was a news crew taking pictures of illegally parked cars. Guess where they were parked? At a hydrant. The very people who report on this nonsense are some of the biggest abusers. I also have zero doubt that each and every one of you......yes even Legal Aid Mike break the law REGULARLY in your lives. Cheat on your taxes? Speed in your car (yes even 1 mph over the limit is ILLEGAL) Turn without signaling? Don't ALWAYS recycle? Litter? Park illegally.....just to run in the store.....just to drop off the kids......etc. Ride your bicycle without following traffic laws? Uh huh......thought so.
I think the worst comment, however, that I saw was the guy who has lost faith in government due to this TRAGEDY. Let me ask you something.......Do you live in a cave? Our idiot mayor is a guy who says the people in the Rockaways cannot drink beer on the beach but he and his buddies can drink wine in Central Park. No smoking allowed indoors, but he and his buddies can light up their cigars indoors at will.
The problem is a helluva lot bigger than parking sspots people. Ahhhh, that's right. You people don't really care......so long as it does not inconvenience YOU.

Efficient streets, since you think you know what you're talking about, this one's for you. You said Court Officers placards are forbidden by NYC traffic laws. Some one asks you to post what law, and now you say you can't. Well which one is it, a law or no law? I'll give you a little hint (there is no law)! You are correct in that these cards are issued by our unions. These cards are not parking permits. They are vehicle identification cards. And they are clearly marked as such. Do they authorize us to park illegally? Absolutely not. We do so at the same risk of a ticket as everyone else. And while you may not be happy about it, there is nothing you can do. And if you think OCA is going to help, you will be greatly disappointed. OCA does not issue these placards. They also cannot tell me where to park my personal vehicle on the streets of NYC. I don't think I've ever seen a Judge out walking the streets with a summons book. Sorry to burst your bubble.

you guys are just a bunch of nothing else better to do guys than taking picture cars. stop worrying about what the civil servants are doing with their illegal parkings and start worrying about the war and other things. Whoever created this site needs to get a life. And for those who takes picture of cars, stop being a cry baby....

WHER THE HECK DO U EXPECT THE COURT OFFICERS AND POLICE OFFICERS TO PARK THERE VEHICLES DO U WANT THEM TO PUT THEM UP THERE A>>>>>>>> LETS BE FOR REAL!!

i think instead of wasting your time in this issue. you and you org should start collecting donation and donate it to nyc so city of new york build parking lot for city workers specially from people who nothing else to do but just cry about everything.